Parotta is a popular dish in almost every home. Be it among the adults or children, it is always on the must have list. Its taste and flavour, combined with salna attracts all. The mushrooming parotta stalls and the demand for ‘parotta masters’ in the city reveals the prominent a role it plays in the dietary habits of the people.

However, there is a word of caution for parotta lovers from leading cardiologists in Madurai who say that it may be a mouth-watering dish but at the same it is also heart damaging. The heart of the matter lies in the ‘maida’ which is said to be a wrong recipe for a healthy heart.

At a time when heart attacks, cardiac diseases and diabetes are threatening the productive young population, heart experts have revealed some hard truths about the fluffy soft parotta which gives arouses the taste buds but puts the health of the eater at risk.

“Parotta contains the purest form of carbohydrates and the maida flour with which it is prepared is an enemy to your heart. Eating it means it is a direct depositing of fats and cholesterol in to your body,” says R.Raghunathan, Head of Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH), here.

Colour of maida flour may look fair and fine when compared to wheat flour, but the process involved in its preparation shows how dangerous it is for vital parts such as heart and pancreas.

A.Madhavan, senior interventional cardiologist at Apollo Speciality Hospitals who is also a Fellow of heart specialists certified by the Geneva-based World Heart Federation, explained that the chemical Alloxan which is used to give softness to maida flour could lead to diabetes and thereby cause heart problems in the long run.

“Majority of the people prefer parotta for its taste. But, remember that Alloxan is dangerous to pancreas which regulates glucose/sugar in our body. It is advisable not to get bowled by the taste alone but also bear in mind the chemicals present in maida flour,” he cautions.

Bleaching products used for processing maida are toxic to pancreas which secretes insulin. The bleaching agents present in maida are used to produce diabetes in experimental creatures such as rodents/animals.

Dr.Madhavan says that it is time to end the obsession with parotta in view of increasing child obesity, hypertension, early diabetes and heart attacks. “I think we can do a ‘Maida study in Madurai’ to come out with findings. Those who are regular parotta eaters and those who keep away from that can be screened,” he said.

Chief of Department of Cardiology at the GRH, R.A.Janarthanan, too joins in a campaign against parotta wave in view of its threat to heart. “Lifestyle changes and mental stress are taking a heavy toll on our youngsters as many youngsters between 30 and 40 years of age are becoming heart patients. In such a case, the food we eat matters a lot and parotta is not good,” he says.

Absence of fibre content in maida is seen as a major negative factor in parotta. It gets even more aggravated because of the side-dishes or paraphernalia that accompany it such as ‘salna.’ Parotta has the capacity to shoot up your body sugar level.

“One gram of carbohydrate gives nine calories of energy. Imagine the impact of a parotta which is full of only carbohydrates and especially when you do not do sufficient physical exercises. Parotta may be cheap but it will be costly for your heart,” cautions Dr.Raghunathan.

The parotta-diabetes-heart link can be gauged from the current trends.

Even though there is no documentary evidence to say that maida is the actual villain, Dr.Madhavan says that changing food habits will indeed damage the heart.

“Out of 10 master health check-ups I do, three persons are newly detected diabetes cases. When I tell them they have sugar, they get shocked. So, right food at right time is the right way,” he tells.

N.Ganesan, cardiologist, Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre, says that cardiac fitness is of utmost importance these days. “Heart metabolic activity is vital. Every middle-aged man should walk for 10,000 steps a day. I don’t mean climbing of steps, but a regular normal walking of 10,000 steps during the entire day, between morning and night,” he suggests.

According to him, prevention aspects can begin at young age itself. “Fifty per cent of heart problems crop up in persons below 50 years of age and 25 per cent of cases are reported before 40 years of age. So, you can understand the gravity of the situation,” Dr.Ganesan.

The message from Dr.Janarthanan was that people should go for healthy food such as idli, puttu and chapathi while following nutritional balance with fruits and vegetables.

Next time, you order for a parcel of ‘chilly parotta’ or ‘kothu parotta’, think twice because it can parcel off your heart and pancreas.

Residents of the city start their day by splashing brackish water on their faces.

“The water we get in our taps from the borewells sunk in our house is brackish and is often turbid,” says S Thanalakshmi, a resident of KK Nagar. Laboratory tests conducted by Enviro Care, an organisation here, on groundwater samples taken from different parts of the city testify to the deteriorating quality of the groundwater in the city.

While the permissible limits for Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) is 2000 mg/l, according to the IS 10500:2012 standards, many areas such as Kappalur, KK Nagar, Villapuram and Avaniapuram have high levels of dissolved salts and minerals. “Most mineral water companies maintain the TDS level in the water they manufacture at 50. Any figure beyond 500 means the water is not potable” says S. Rajmohan, Managing Director of Enviro Care.

Experts attribute the deterioration in groundwater quality to scant rainfall and unsound water management practices, including excessive tapping of groundwater. Geologically, the top layer of the soil has soft rocks and there are hard rocks deeper down. Groundwater near the top layer is described as the most pure and clean.

“Owing to overexploitation of our groundwater resources, the water table has dropped. As the borewells go deeper for groundwater extraction, the quality of water deteriorates owing to the presence of dissolved minerals near the hard rocks,” says T. Velrajan from the Department of Civil Engineering of Thiagarajar College of Engineering here.

Untreated water and the letting of sewage into riverbeds have been major contributors to groundwater pollution. The daily requirement for Madurai with a population of over 15 lakh is around 202 million litres. “The city has water treating plants at Avaniapuram and Sakkimangalam. Though the plants are not fully functional, the quantity of waste water from the city which is being taken there for treatment is very low,” explains J. Kanagavalli, a project coordinator with the Dhan Foundation.

The waste water which requires treatment includes water from educational institutions, hospitals, commercial and apartment complexes. “Waste water from most of these sources is directly discharged into either the Vaigai or the numerous tanks. This polluted water percolates into the ground and affects the groundwater table,” adds Ms Kanagavalli.

Tanks near Avaniapuram are dumping sites for hazardous products which mingle with the water and slowly percolate to the groundwater table.

Partially treated waste water used for irrigating fields near the sewage treatment plants also contribute to pollution, says Professor Velrajan, adding the constant use of this water to irrigate fields subsequently affects the quality of groundwater.

Studies, however, indicate that the soil is capable of filtering the impurities before the water percolates, which is chiefly why the situation has not gone out of hand.

“But coliform levels will still be high in the water,” says a researcher referring to the bacteria commonly found in faecal matter. “That is why water in the city is not potable and shouldn’t be drunk without purification,” he cautions.

Such abysmal water quality has forced people to look for alternatives. While some buy water in cans or fill tanks at houses and offices with water bought from tankers, others install the Reverse Osmosis (RO) water purification system.

Hotels have additional water needs that can’t be met by RO plants alone. “The water we get is extremely hard. As a result, we buy a load of 12,000 litres of water,” says Suresh, a hotel employee.

Despite the presence of an underground drainage system, not all apartment complexes or institutions have properly linked their discharge lines with it. “Multi-storeyed buildings such as hospitals, schools and colleges should be compulsorily linked to the underground drainage system,” says Ms. Kanagavalli.

“More than blaming authorities for inaction, people themselves should keep a check on waste water disposal in their buildings and institutions. The pollution of tanks in the city which is ultimately affecting the groundwater quality has to be stopped,” she says.

Echoing her views, Professor Velrajan explains how irrigation channels which were used for carrying water to the fields have become sewage carriers instead. “Proper linking with the underground drainage system is necessary since the sewage routed through these channels eventually lands up in water tanks. The area around water sources where the maximum recharge has to happen should be declared a pollution-free zone,” he says.

Dilution of groundwater through effective recharge methods such as roof-water harvesting is seen as the best option to improve the water quality. “Scanty rainfall aside, effective implementation of water management techniques will not only augment the water table but also improve water quality,” explains Mr. Rajmohan.

Denied a ticket, suspended DMK MP and former Union Minister M.K. Alagiri on Thursday caused an embarrassment to his party when he called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who regretted that the party left the UPA.

During the meeting, Mr. Alagiri requested Dr. Singh to name the Madurai airport after freedom fighter Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar

After a long gap , Alagiri remembers that there is something called Madurai airport that too only for personal gains . When various stakeholders are hard fighting for flights to MAL,KUL for years ,cargo complex ,& many , see what he asks to PM .
What will the airliners do with this renaming ??? .

Dingy tea shops , pavement- encroaching idli shops, makeshift eateries , dusty , dangerous vadai kadais with huge vats of hot oil, are invariably located on all bus stands, busy thoroughfares, and on bustling streets of our Madurai posing a grave threat to the health and safety of the public. as usual the Madurai Corporation's sanitary Department which is authorised to regulate their functioning , simply turns away from it's responsibility and never takes any action on these offenders. such things are bringing ill health, shame disgrace, and an indecent image to our city. will they change for good ever?